There’s a low-cost, recession-proof way to drive qualified leads to your web site.

“[In this economy] there is a greater focus on customer acquisition. Search is the best tool for that.”

–David Hallerman, senior analyst, eMarketer

Q2 Marketing is offering a proven recession-proof keyword optimization program you can implement immediately to begin driving measurably increased qualified traffic to your web site.

You’ll receive a full listing of keywords, prioritized by daily searches, predicted daily searches and Google KEI (keyword effectiveness index). And you’ll know at a glance, based on the straight-forward, easy-to interpret numbers, which are the most effective for your web site and which ones to be sure and include.

The Q2 Keyword optimization program. It’s fast, affordable and will boost qualified leads to your web site. That’s good news in any economy. Contact sales@q2marketing.com for more.

This series grew out of my heartfelt conclusion that B2B and B2G blogging isn’t for everyone. Sometimes I get the sense that non-bloggers feel guilty about not yet joining the fray. Conversely, a hearty helping of business-to-business bloggers that, it turns out, have very little to say, have jumped in. The series began by highting the four attributes a would-be blogger absolutely must have:

• Strategy
• Discipline
• Desire
• Content

• Strategy
• Discipline
• Desire
• Content

Business-to-business blogs are everywhere these days. But that doesn’t mean that blogging is really for everyone. Maybe it’s a fit for your and your business. Maybe it’s not. This article highlights the four most essential attributes needed before blogging. We’ll review even more in part two. If you’re missing any one of the four below, regroup and consider if blogging makes sense for you. 

Q2 is pleased to announce that Johnston McLamb’s new website is now live. Johnston McLamb hired Q2 to completely redesign the site as well as incorporate SEO in the form of keyword/phrase research and optimized web content. The site is already receiving rave reviews and Johnston McLamb looks forward to leveraging their new site to help drive sales and recruiting objectives.

From PR News, this will help you refine your online media strategy by making the most out of PR to drive SEO. Combine these efforts and minimize dollars spent while maximizing ROI.

http://www.prnewsonline.com/prinsiders/Using-PR-to-Boost-SEO_12769.html

Enjoy!

This is the second tip to help you get more media coverage. For the first super-secret tip, read How to get more media coverage—tip 1. If you are selling software or services (or both) to the B2B or B2B (or both) market, credibility is probably a top priority for you. An ongoing PR program is one of the single best ways to establish and improve your organization’s credibility. And remember, a good PR program is often important fuel for your search engine optimization (SEO) initiatives.

Tip number two: get bylined articles published. A bylined article is very simply an article ostensibly written by your senior management or engineers, depending on the outlet, and published in print and/or online.

With the burgeoning online media market, the need for original content like this is an ever-growing source of PR. Sound easy? Well, yes and no.

Here’s the rub. You need good content, good strategy and good execution to make bylined articles work for you. Here’s are the first 3 steps of the formula:

1. What’s the story?

Just because a publication will run your content doesn’t mean it will advance your company’s cause. Determine the stories you want the world to know, whether they are case studies, hot technology and tech trends, solutions for a specific industry, etc. What are the stories you need your audience to read.

Think in terms of Google searching your topic. Would a prospect key in the same search terms to find this article as they would keywords that would lead them to your web site and to key solutions you offer? While not always an appropriate litmus test, this is a good way to determine if this is a good story to tell.  

2. Determine the vehicles.

What are the news and industry online and print media your audience reads? Start there. But remember that Google operates as the brain for most of us. Rather than solely picking up the most recent eWeek or going directly to computerworld.com, your audience is searching for solutions like yours on the web. What if your bylined article is at the top of the heap of returns?

3. Pitch the story.

Once you’ve determined the best stories and most high-profile outlets, pitch the article to the appropriate editors, based on their editorial calendars, beats, trends, etc.

Join us later this week for the next 3 steps for success in getting your original content published.  

Regularly, I speak with marketing and PR professionals and senior managers who know the super secret formula for getting great media coverage. The first secret is that there are no secrets.

But just as regularly, I talk with senior management, typically of small, but successful companies, who don’t know anything about getting press coverage. Understandably, their media coverage—or lack thereof—reflects this. And often, so does their search engine optimization (Google juice) and the credibility that comes from successful PR and SEO.

DMNews reported recently that 99.5% of press releases don’t feature search engine optimization (SEO) for the web. This DMNews story was written by Brian Halligan: